Friday, February 4, 2011

Sri Lanka 'poorly equipped to forecast floods'

Tharaka Gamage in SciDev.net: Poor flood forecasting facilities contributed to the damage caused by recent extensive floods in Sri Lanka, the worst in nine decades, scientists said. Between 1 December 2010 and 12 January 2011, Sri Lanka's northern and eastern districts received rainfall that almost equalled the area’s total monsoon rains from December to February each year, according to the Colombo-based Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka (DMCSL).

The unusually heavy rainfall caused the sudden floods that affected over 200,000 families, and damaged an estimated 6,000 houses, according to preliminary estimates. "As a result of this heavy rain, more than 60 small tanks have been damaged, causing rapid spread of flood. We have to rebuild and repair the small-tank system of the country to manage the rainwater effectively," U.W.L Chandradasa, director of DMCSL, told SciDev.net.

"Sri Lanka does not have a proper [flood] forecasting system. This is an area to look into, probably, as part of preparedness," Herath Manthrithilake, head of the Colombo-based International Water Management Institute's Sri Lanka programme, said.

DMCSL is preparing a risk reduction plan, and installing a facility to download real-time satellite pictures during emergencies like the recent floods. So far, the country has had to take the help of neighbouring countries that downloaded satellite images and relayed them to Sri Lanka. This is time-consuming and less effective for immediate decision-making, Chandradasa said….

June 2009 – At the studios of Cleanskies TV, I was interviewed about the costs of climate change, and discussed adaptation efforts underway in the US and around the world.

May 2009 – I helped draft the scenarios for Rising Waters, a multistakeholder scenarios effort focused on climate change adaptation in the Hudson Valley. The final report is now completed and available here.

May 2008 – I reviewed two books on climate and energy in the New Leader magazine: James Gustave Speth's The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability, plus Robert Bryce's Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence.

January 2008 – A very local paper covers a very global issue.... The Litchfield County Times in northwestern Connectictut ran an article in January 2008 about Carbon-Based.

Now available: Climate Change Adaptation in 2011

A selection of my writings from 2011, plus some of my posts, as well as links... all focusing on the risks of climate change